Hot flashes are experienced by many women undergoing menopause. A hot flash is a feeling of warmth, sometimes associated with flushing, that spreads over the body and may be accompanied by perspiration. Hot flashes may vary in severity and may last for a short period of time in some women, but can last for a decade or more in other women. Although the cause of hot flashes is not completely understood, hot flashes may be related to fluctuations of hormone levels experienced during menopause. Hot flashes also may be experienced secondary to mastectomy and other cancer-related treatments, particularly cancer treatments that affect hormone levels.
Traditionally, hot flashes have been treated with hormone therapy. Hormone replacement medications (usually estrogen or a combination of estrogen and progesterone) are effective in reducing the frequency of hot flashes and their severity. Generally, these medications decrease the frequency of hot flashes by about 80 to 90%. However, hormone replacement therapy is associated with increased risk of heart attack, stroke, blood clots, and breast cancer. Thus, alternative treatments are desirable.
Neuromodulation involves an array of therapeutic approaches applied to the brain, cranial nerves, spinal cord, and all associated nerves and neural structures in the human body to treat various human disorders. Neuromodulation can involve lesioning, electrical stimulation/modulation, and chemical stimulation/modulation, such as gene therapy and administration of stem cells. Electrical stimulation of neural tissue is becoming an increasingly preferred form of therapy for certain conditions and disorders where existing therapies generate intolerable side effects, require repeated administration of treatment, or are simply ineffective in a subset of patients.